Marc birkigt



M. BIRKIGT.

COMBINED GUN AND ENGlNE FOR AERIAL MAcHlNEs.

APPLICATION FILED MAYSI. 1917.

'U N ITED STATES MARC BIRKIG'T, 0F BOIS COLOMBES, FRANCE.

I COMBINED GUN' AND ENGINE FOR AERIAL MACHINES.

l .Specication of Letters Patent. l Patented Oct. 21, 1919.

Application led May 31, 1917. Serial No. 172,098.

To all whom t may concern:

,Be it known that I, MARC BIRKIGT, engineer, citizen of the Republic of Switzerland, residing at Bois Colombes, Department of Seine, France, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Combined Guns and Engines for Aerial Machines, of which the following is a specification. Y

This invention relates to a combined gun A and engine foraerial machines. The vention comprises a gun for use on aerial machines, in which the engine of the machine forms the gun carria e. The barrel of the gun is a good sliding t in the interior of the hollow propeller shaft, which is driven -by the crank-shaft of the engine through a speed reducing device.

The invention further comp-rises a gunn which a recoil cylinder connected to the breech of the gun is secured to the casing .of the engine.

The single figure of the drawing shows,

Iby way of example, in axial longitudinal section an aeroplane engine on which is mounted a gun in accordance with the in- A is a xed engine of an aeroplane driving a tractor propeller B secured to a hollow shaft a which is driven from thel crankshaft a through speed reducing gear wheels b and b".

Thehollowshaft cto which is secured the tractor propeller B, is mounted in the casing A of the engine A,a11d has at its front part ball bearingsy c1 and c2. The casing A is provided at suitable points of its lengthI with) cylindrical bearings with fbrasses all and d2, the axes of which coincide with the extended axis of the hollow shaft a.

The barrel e of the gun has cylindrical bearings e1 and e2 at suitable points of its outer surface, which enable the said barrel to move 'with a good sliding fit in the bearings dl and d2.

On the engine A is mounted a recjil cylinder or liquid brake f, which is connected inthe known manner to the breech g of the gun projecting at the rear part of the engine -At A lubricating device it is -provided toenablel the liquid |brake to take non-freezing oil, for example,V so as to insure its. good working.

Thus, it will be seen thata fixedengine supporting a gun is obtained, the said gun forming with the engine one whole, occupying the least possible space and having the Asmallest possible weight, which is a considerable advantage in aeroplanes in which space is comparatively restricted, the engineforming an excellent carriage for the said gun and afbsorbin :any vibrations and trepidatlons caused by firing, owing to the engines/#absorbing the effect of recoil and preventing it from being transmitted to the rest of the aeroplane.

' The laying of thev gun is effected simply by steering the machine.

Obviously the invention is not limited to the construction described but comp-rises any modifications Within the scope of the claims.

Having now particularly described and ascertainedv the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is:

l. The combination of an engine of an aerial machine having a casing and a tubular propeller shaft, and agun having a barrel with a sliding mounting in the said casing and in part extending through the tubular propeller shaft.

2. The combination of an engine' of an aerial machine having a casing .and a tubular propeller shaft, a gun having a barrel with a sliding mounting in the said casing and in part extending through the tubular propeller shaft, .and'a recoil cylinder also mounted in a part of the casing and cooperating with the gun.

3.. The combination of an engine of an aerial machine\having a casing and a tubullar propeller shaft, a gun having a sliding mounting in the said casing and Vin part pro'- ]ecting'through the said tu'bular propeller shaft and also provi-ded with a rear accessible breech, and a recoil cylinder also mounted in the casing in Ixed position and connected to the breech of the gun.

The combination of an engine of an arial machine having a casing and a tubular propeller shaft, and bodily slidable in the casing and inpart through the tubular propeller shaft and provided with means for controlling the recoil thereof. c

5. The combination of an engine of an aerial machine having a' casing and a tubua gun mounted and ylar propeller shaft, the casing being l'pro-- vided With bearings having their axes coinmy hand in presence of two silhscribig- Wit; aiding with the axis of the propeller shaft, nesses. and a` gun having' a, sliding mounting in the said easing and ropeller Shaft and eompris- MARC BIRKIGT 5 ingr cylindrical ealrings which movably en- Witnesses:

gage the said bearings of the Casing. CHAS. P. PRESSLY.

in testimony whereof have hereunto set l PAUL BLUM. 

